A weekend curtailed of three games by Hurricane Irene jumbled the power rankings heading into the FIFA international week. Real Salt Lake moved up with a gutty win against Chivas USA, which by losing both of its games fell into the second tier.

The race for playoff places tightened up and so did the power rankings as Houston and Sporting Kansas City posted vital wins to take advantage of Philly's loss in Columbus that extends the Union's winless streak

The battle for second place in the Western Conference is mirrored in the power rankings; in both listings, FC Dallas holds a narrow lead over Seattle. Eastern Conference leader Columbus stuck to fifth place in the rankings, but rival New York slid again after extending its winless streak to six games.

Just two-thirds of the way through their expansion season, the Portland Timbers have already zoomed to dizzying heights and plummeted to depressing lows along with their raucous, rabid fans. Through it all, their excitable head coach, John Spencer, is always in the moment yet with one eye on the long-term.

Los Angeles rebounded after a 3-0 midweek loss to Portland by beating FC Dallas, 3-1, in a matchup of the league's top two teams. Seattle rallied for a 2-1 win at Kansas City to take over the second spot, and Colorado's 2-0 defeat of Columbus moved it past the Crew into fourth place. A four-point week for Portland lifted the Timbers two slots.